Coaxial connector with grounding and retention

Abstract

A cable connector including: a body; a nose having a forward nose portion, a rearward nose portion that is configured to be coupled with the body, and a recessed nose portion; a coupler configured to be coupled with the forward nose portion; a conductor configured to be supported in the body and the nose portion; and a biasing portion configured to be received in the recessed nose portion. The coupler is configured to be rotatably coupled to the nose; and the biasing portion is configured to biasingly provide an electrical ground path between the nose and the coupler so as to improve an electrically conductive connection between an outer conductor of a coaxial cable and the coupler when the coupler is not connected to an interface port, when the coupler is loosely coupled to the interface port, and when the coupler is fully tightened to the interface port.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A coaxial cable connector comprising:
 a connector body having a rearward cable receiving end and a forward end opposite the rearward cable receiving end;   a nose portion having a rearward end and a forward end, wherein the rearward end is configured to be coupled with the forward end of the connector body;   a coupler configured to be coupled with the forward end of the nose portion;   a post disposed within at least a portion of the connector body and the nose portion;   a wave shaped biasing portion configured to be received by at least a portion of a receiving groove in an outer surface at the forward end of the nose portion;   wherein the coupler is configured to be rotatably coupled to the nose portion;   wherein the coupler has an inward radial protrusion configured to extend radially inwardly, and the inward radial protrusion has a forward radial wall and a rearward radial wall;   wherein the wave shaped biasing portion has a front radial side and a rear radial side and is configured to form less than a complete circle;   wherein the wave shaped biasing portion is configured to have an undulating shape when not axially compressed such that the front and rear radial sides of the first wave spring are not planar surfaces;   wherein the front and rear radial sides of the wave shaped biasing portion are parallel;   wherein the wave shaped biasing portion is configured to have an inner diameter that is less than an outer diameter of the receiving groove when the wave shaped biasing portion is not mounted in the receiving groove;   wherein the wave shaped biasing portion is configured such that a portion of the front radial side of the wave shaped biasing portion contacts the rearward radial wall of the inward radial protrusion while simultaneously a portion of the rear radial side of the wave shaped biasing portion contacts a rearward radial wall of the receiving groove so as to retain the coupler on the connector body; and   wherein the wave shaped biasing portion is configured to provide an electrical ground path between the nose portion and the coupler so as to improve an electrically conductive connection between an outer conductor of a coaxial cable and the coupler when the coupler is not connected to an interface port, when the coupler is loosely coupled to the interface port, and when the coupler is fully tightened to the interface port.   
     
     
         2 . The coaxial cable connector of  claim 1 , wherein the wave shaped biasing portion comprises a wave spring and further comprising a second wave shaped biasing portion that is configured to be received in the receiving groove. 
     
     
         3 . The coaxial connector of  claim 2 , wherein the second wave shaped biasing portion includes a front radial side and a rear radial side and is configured to form less than a complete circle;
 wherein the second wave shaped biasing portion is configured to have an undulating shape when at rest such that the front and real radial sides of the second wave shaped biasing portion are not planar surfaces;   wherein the front and rear radial sides of the second wave shaped biasing portion are parallel;   wherein the second wave shaped biasing portion is configured to have an inner diameter that is less than the outer diameter of the receiving groove when the second wave spring is not mounted in the receiving groove; and   wherein the second wave shaped biasing portion is configured such that a portion of the rear radial side of the second wave shaped biasing portion contacts the forward radial wall of the inward radial protrusion while simultaneously a portion of the front radial side of the second wave shaped biasing portion contacts a forward radial wall of the receiving groove so as to retain the coupler on the connector body.   
     
     
         4 . The coaxial connector of  claim 3 , wherein the second wave shaped biasing portion is configured to provide an electrical ground path between the nose portion and the coupler so as to improve an electrically conductive connection between an outer conductor of a coaxial cable and the coupler when the coupler is not connected to an interface port, when the coupler is loosely coupled to the interface port, and when the coupler is fully tightened to the interface port. 
     
     
         5 . A coaxial cable connector comprising:
 a body portion having a rearward cable receiving body portion and a forward body portion opposite the rearward cable receiving body portion;   a nose portion having a rearward nose portion configured to be coupled with the forward body portion and a forward nose portion that includes an outer nose surface that is configured to form a recessed nose portion;   a coupler portion configured to be coupled with the forward nose portion;   a conductor portion that is configured to be supported in at least a portion the connector body portion and the nose portion;   a biasing portion configured to be received in the recessed nose portion;   wherein the coupler portion is configured to be rotatably coupled to the nose portion;   wherein the coupler portion includes an inward radially protruding coupler portion that is configured to protrude radially inwardly;   wherein the biasing portion is configured to have an undulating shape when not axially compressed;   wherein the biasing portion includes a front biasing portion that is configured to contact the protrusion portion during operation of the connector and a rear biasing portion that is configured to contact the recess during operation of the connector; and   wherein the biasing portion is configured to provide an electrical ground path between the nose portion and the coupler portion so as to improve an electrically conductive connection between an outer conductor of a coaxial cable and the coupler portion when the coupler portion is not connected to an interface port, when the coupler portion is loosely coupled to the interface port, and when the coupler portion is fully tightened to the interface port.   
     
     
         6 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the biasing portion comprises a wave spring and is configured to have an inner diameter that is configured to be less than an outer diameter of the recessed nose portion when the biasing portion is not mounted in the recessed nose portion. 
     
     
         7 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the front biasing portion and the rear biasing portion are configured to extent parallel to each other during operation of the biasing portion. 
     
     
         8 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the protrusion portion includes a rearward radial wall protrusion portion and the front biasing portion is configured to contact the rearward radial wall protrusion portion so as to retain the coupler portion on the body portion during operation of the connector. 
     
     
         9 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the biasing portion includes a front radial biasing side portion and a rear radial biasing side portion, and wherein the biasing portion is configured to form less than a complete circle. 
     
     
         10 . The coaxial connector of  claim 9 , wherein the front radial biasing side portion and the rear radial biasing side portion of the biasing portion comprise non-planar surfaces. 
     
     
         11 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the recessed nose portion comprises a groove. 
     
     
         12 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the conductor portion comprises a post. 
     
     
         13 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the biasing portion comprises a wave spring. 
     
     
         14 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the biasing portion comprises a first biasing portion and further comprising a second biasing portion configured to be received in the recessed nose portion. 
     
     
         15 . The coaxial connector of  claim 14 , wherein the second biasing portion includes a second front biasing portion and a second rear biasing portion, and the second biasing portion is configured to form an undulating shape when not axially compressed, and wherein the second rear biasing portion is configured to contact the protrusion portion while the second front biasing portion contacts the recessed nose portion so as to retain the coupler portion on the body portion. 
     
     
         16 . The coaxial connector of  claim 15 , wherein the second biasing portion is configured to biasingly provide an electrical ground path between the nose portion and the coupler portion so as to improve an electrically conductive connection between an outer conductor of a coaxial cable and the coupler portion when the coupler portion is not connected to the interface port, when the coupler portion is loosely coupled to the interface port, and when the coupler portion is fully tightened to the interface port. 
     
     
         17 . The coaxial connector of  claim 14 , wherein the second biasing portion comprises a wave spring. 
     
     
         18 . The coaxial connector of  claim 5 , wherein the front biasing portion is configured to contact the protrusion portion during operation of the connector and the rear biasing portion is configured to simultaneously contact the recess during operation of the connector. 
     
     
         19 . A cable connector comprising:
 a body portion having a forward body portion;   a nose portion having a forward nose portion, a rearward nose portion that is configured to be coupled with the forward body portion, and a recessed nose portion;   a coupler portion configured to be coupled with the forward nose portion;   a conductor portion configured to be supported in at least part of the body portion and the nose portion;   a biasing portion configured to be received in at least a part of the recessed nose portion;   wherein the coupler portion is configured to be rotatably coupled to the nose portion; and   wherein the biasing portion is configured to biasingly provide an electrical ground path between the nose portion and the coupler portion so as to improve an electrically conductive connection between an outer conductor of a coaxial cable and the coupler portion when the coupler portion is not connected to an interface port, when the coupler portion is loosely coupled to the interface port, and when the coupler portion is fully tightened to the interface port.   
     
     
         20 . The cable connector of  claim 19 , wherein the coupler portion includes a protruding coupler portion that is configured to protrude in a radially inwardly direction. 
     
     
         21 . The cable connector of  claim 20 , wherein the conductor portion comprises a recessed conductor portion. 
     
     
         22 . The cable connector of  claim 21 , wherein the biasing portion includes a front biasing portion and a rear biasing portion, and the biasing portion is configured such that the front biasing portion is configured to contact the protruding coupler portion while the rear biasing portion is configured to contact the recessed nose portion so as to retain the coupler portion on the body portion. 
     
     
         23 . The cable connector of  claim 19 , wherein the biasing portion is configured to have an undulating shape when not axially compressed. 
     
     
         24 . The cable connector of  claim 19 , wherein the biasing portion comprises a first biasing portion and further comprising a second biasing portion that configured to be received in the recessed nose portion. 
     
     
         25 . The cable connector of  claim 24 , wherein the second biasing portion is configured to have an undulating shape when not axially compressed. 
     
     
         26 . The cable connector of  claim 25 , wherein the second biasing portion is configured to biasingly provide an electrical ground path between the nose portion and the coupler portion so as to improve an electrically conductive connection between the outer conductor of the coaxial cable and the coupler portion when the coupler portion is not connected to the interface port, when the coupler portion is loosely coupled to the interface port, and when the coupler portion is fully tightened to the interface port. 
     
     
         27 . The cable connector of  claim 24 , wherein the second biasing portion comprises a wave spring. 
     
     
         28 . The cable connector of  claim 19 , wherein the forward nose portion comprises the recessed nose portion.